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Lightning
The Lightning tank is a light tank built by the neutral Nanite Systems. It is fast and quite effective when moving around. It can only carry the driver who also acts as the lone gunner. It can be equipped for anti-infantry, anti-vehicle or anti-air with the various weapon options. Weapons There is only one weapon slot for the Lightning tank. It can be equipped with various types of weapons to suit various roles. C75 Viper The C75 Viper is the stock weapon for the Lightning. It can fire 6 rounds, but suffers a low damage per shot. Its slow reload time and the low damage per shot makes it ineffective for anti-vehicle, and with the low velocity it is impractical for anti-air. With its 6 rounds, it can be a somewhat effective option for anti-infantry. However, because of its poor anti-tank performance, it is not a wise choice as other tanks can crush it. L100 Python There are 3 versions of the L100 Python, the HEAT, AP and HE, all of which fire a single shot before reloading. The HEAT (High Explosive Anti-Tank) is a good all-round option and is also the cheapest, costing only 250 Certs or 500SC. The AP (Armor Piercing) option is good for anti-tank combat, but with a very small blast radius it requires very good aim for firing at both vehicles and infantry. The HE (High Explosive) is useful when attacking infantry but its direct damage is fairly low, resulting in a poor anti-vehicle performance. Skyguard The Skyguard is an anti-air flak cannon, with a 70-round magazine. It is one of the most dreaded weapons for all pilots, and is capable of shredding any aircraft that comes near it. A small group of Skyguard Lightning tanks is enough to clear the skies of enemy aircraft. While it provides excellent air protection, a Skyguard Lightning usually needs to stay with a group of allies as the Skyguard gives little support against tanks or infantry. Upgrades The are many upgrades available to the Lightning. There are three slots, called the Defense, Utility, and Performance. Utility For the Utility slot, there are four option. IR Smoke, Fire Suppression, and Proximity Radar. IR Smoke allow for disrupting active lock-ons and preventing new ones for a few seconds, allowing the driver to evade a few rocket strikes, which can make a big difference in escaping alive, and the smoke screen also provides a few seconds of cover. Fire Supression allows to repair the vehicle if it is on fire, extinguishing the fire and increasing the health of the plane, which can be helpful if the tank is on fire but very close to reaching safety, and thus is useful in giving the pilot a few extra seconds. Proximity Radar spots enemies nearby which can be useful for killing infantry but has limited effectiveness for anti-vehicle and anti-air combat. For multi-purpose uses the best options are IR Smoke and Fire Suppression, and again it is up to the driver to decide which one is best for them. Defense For the Defense slot there are 6 options on the Lightning: Nanite Auto Repair System, Vehicle Stealth, Reinforced Front Armor, Reinforced Top Armor, Reinforced Side Armor and Mineguard. The Nanite Auto Repair System is of little use for ground vehicles as the driver can repair the vehicle themself if it is not taking fire. Vehicle Stealth is another feature that is of little use to the tank, as tanks are usually meant to be hostile and thus they draw attention anyway. There are 3 forms of extra armor, Front, Top and Side. The Front Armor is less effective as the most armored part of a tank is the front. Top Armor is useful for a Skyguard Lightning which is more prone to aerial attacks. Side Armor is usually considered the best option as it makes the tank resiliant from three sides (left, front and right) since the front already has strong armor. This allows for a tank to be protected as long as there is not any rear attack. As a result, Reinforced Side Armor is the best option for most combat situations. Performance Performance is a slot with two good choices, Racer High Speed and Rival Combat Chassis. The Racer High Speed Chasis increases the speed and acceleration of the tank, helpful for evading and hit-and-run tactics. On the other hand, the Rival Combat Chassisimproves the rotation of the tank, helpful for making sharper turns and can be useful for tank battles. However, unlike in aerial dogfights, tank battles usually do not require much agility, and therefore the Racer High Speed is a better option for most situations. Recommended Loadouts